Received in exchange for a honest review.
Enjoyed Leo’s story to forgiving himself, letting go and falling in love.
Leo was torturing himself over what happened in his past. He couldn’t let go and blamed himself. He felt that he destroyed everyone who got close to him. He was starting to change but still had moments of self doubt and self destruction. He was really hard on himself as well which added extra pressure to him. In reality Leo was a sweet, caring, hard working man who was struggling with letting go. He helped others and cared about what happened to them. He put them before himself but he never saw this. He only saw his failures and what he perceived as being destructive to others.
Kaydee was a wonderer. She didn’t let anyone get close but she was so sweet and loving. She accepted people and saw that they made mistakes and didn’t judge. When Leo comes into her life via his grandmother living next door, her world changes. She sees a kind man but one haunted by demons. She sees someone trying to find his way but also she sees Leo for Leo not his past but just as Leo.
The attraction is the elephant in the room for them but they don’ t act right away. They dance around-she because she feels she won’t be there long and him because he feels he will ruin her. When he starts to help fix up her grandfather’s place is when they can’t fight the attraction anymore. When this happens wow the fireworks are explosive. They have a intimate relationship in many ways. He begins to become his old self and his friends are thrilled. He wants more for himself but also he feels calm and is willing to fight his demons inside to have more with her. She feels settled and happy. Her mind doesn’t want her to wonder anymore.
they give us a nice journey where we see love win and Leo find a way to live life and let go of the demons. That isn’t to say he doesn’t have a moment of panic but his friends, family and a patient Kaydee help. The story is sweet, sexy fun and romantic full of friendship, love and family.

The perfect conclusion to a wonderful series. The Army Ranger's Surprise is the book I've been waiting for since the very start of this series. Leo's transformation over the five books of the series has been inspiring and it's been so easy to root for him as the other warriors of the At East Ranch have landed their HEAs.

Kaydee and Leo meet as they are both helping take care of their grandparents. Leo is driving into Dallas on a weekly basis to watch over his grandmother as his parents are out of town and Kaydee has moved right next door to her grandfather to watch over him as he has trouble driving at night. It was so sweet to see Leo, our troubled soldier, care so deeply for this family and take care of his grandmother.

Kaydee is the perfect match for Leo. Together they challenge and support each other unreservedly. It doesn't hurt that one of my all-time favorite tropes popped up at the end of this book.

My favorite book of this series, thus far, was In a Ranger's Arms. However, I liked The Army Ranger's Surprise just as much, if not more, than the original installment of the series. This book was certainly a 100% satisfying ending to a wonderful, heartwarming series.

A cute story between as Army brat named Kaydee and a former Army Ranger Leo. They are brought together by their grandparents. I loved their grandparents in the story. Kaydee and her grandfather and Leo and his grandmother. It is cute and fun. There is chemistry between them, and helped out by adorable grandparents.

This was a fast and quick read. Leo and Kaydee or dealing with issues from their pasts. His is PTSD and hers is always moving and never being able to make friends because her father was in the Army, and for her it felt like they moved all the time. Now the two of them meet because each are helping their grandparent. He is helping his grandmother and her, her grandfather. Kaydee feels something for Leo and she knows he feels it too, but now she must go slowly. He offers to help her with some of the repairs that need to be done in her grandfather’s place, and she agrees. Everything is going good until Leo gets scared and panics because of his fears of being close to someone. He leaves, when Kaydee finds out that she is pregnant she now fears telling him will drive him farther away. What will happen with these two people? This is a wonderful story and the characters in this book are very good.

This was a dnf for me at 45%. I felt like I was missing something and should have read the previous books in the series.

If you want to know exactly what happens in this book read the blurb... because nothing else happens. The story is predictable because everything is right there.

While the premise of the story was good, it was lacking. His backstory fell a little flat for me; I expected to read more about what led him to what happened. There wasn't much said, though it was implied. I wanted that heart to heart talk or at least a more detailed memory of what happened. I wanted more of her backstory too. It was implied that she was hesitant to put down roots, but this didn't seem like an internal battle for her as much as it was for those around her.

The blurb for The Army Ranger’s Surprise had me salivating. The love between recuperating former Ranger Leo and the sweet neighbor he knocks up, forcing him to rise to the challenge couldn’t come fast enough. Unfortunately, it seems my blurb reading skills need exercising because the story was so not what I thought it was going to be.

Leo had struggled greatly when he got out of the military, but after months of therapy, hard work and a supportive group of friends, he started to finally feel better.

“Leo, you’re not a bother, You’re a brother. We’re always going to worry about you.”

He still had some issues with his past, mainly guilt and a bit of undeserving-of-happiness-syndrome, but he was actively fighting it. He was one sexy construction/handyman. He was sweet and considerate and just wanted to help others in the way that he was helped. I really liked him and the way he tried to confront his issues as they arose.

In one of his frequent visits to his grandmother he meets her new neighbor Kaydee, who is living with her grandfather across the street.

“Kaydee’s ability to embrace her mistakes and turn them into something positive left him in awe. So did the way her jeans hugged her sweet ass.”

Kaydee’s cheerful disposition, fun and caring personality along with a bit of clumsiness and shyness charmed the pants off Leo. Literally. I really enjoyed her fresh and natural ways. I loved their sizzling chemistry and how they were together.

So, if everything was lovely and I enjoyed everything why was I disappointed? Well, because I was expecting things to go differently, as in, she’d get knocked up right away and they’d have to deal with it and their feelings would have no choice but to flourish in the process. First, the pregnancy didn’t really happen until 74% into the book, a measly 40 minutes before I finished reading it. I mean, the baby isn’t even born until the epilogue!! Also, both main characters had insecurities they liked to peruse at length in their own minds, which made for a slower pace than I personally liked. I have to confess to skimming during parts of the story, especially when I realized the pregnancy wasn’t happening when I wanted it to.

The Army Ranger’s Surprise is a nice, sweet romance about learning to open up in spite of our fears, because the possible reward of true love is worth any pain. While I liked the story, I think my expectations about it prevented me from truly enjoying it.

Another cowboy from At-Ease Ranch fells in love. Leo past is not something that he brags about and that is why he doesn't let people get to close to him. Until he meets her grandmother's neighbor Kaydee. The sparks fly and soon is hard to stay away from each other. We see Leo struggle through the whole book he feels incompetent and little by little his self-confidence is growing and Kaydee is the one to thank for. But he still thinks that he will screw up with her so he wants to let her go. But is too late Kaydee is in love with him and will he opened his eyes will the other boys help him to see the truth? A story with not so much happening but with two great characters with great chemistry. Enjoyable read.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

The Army Ranger's Surprise by Donna Michaels is book 5 in The Men of At-Ease Ranch series. This is the story of Kaydee Wagner and Leo Reed. I haven't yet read the previous books, So for me this was a standalone book.
Kaydee comes to town to help her grandfather not looking to put down any real roots since she is used to moving around a lot. But when he needs her she came to help out. Leo also is helping his grandmother but in addition is working toward getting better after the dramatic events in his life. Not looking for anyone permanently but unable to resist Kaydee turns into something more but it also means he would have to expose his past secrets.
Overall great story and enjoyed reading how theirs played out.

I absolutely adore Donna Michaels’ Men of At-Ease Ranch series and the newest book is no exception! The characters are loveable; the interactions between them were fun, flirty and banter-filled.

The pacing was slow at times; pages and pages would go by where it felt like nothing was happening? Like nothing that moved the storyline forward at least [ though worry not, there were plenty of sexy times :) ]

Also worth mentioning, is that even though we’re told that each book in the series can be read as a standalone, sometimes as I was reading, it felt like the characters each already knew things about each other, important things, meaning it felt like I had missed out on a significant chunk of the story when in fact, I hadn’t.

For example, Kaydee talks about knowing what Leo went through and understanding why he is the way he is but Leo’s backstory (and how Kaydee came to know of it) is never explained to the reader. I can only assume that the two lead characters got some significant page time in book four and of course, that had to be the only book of the series that I missed.

(I had no idea there was a fourth book until I saw this one down as number five #Oops!)

Usually, the author includes some kind of scene in there to explain what happened in the book before but there wasn’t one in this? Not that I can think of anyway. I wish that the author had somehow incorporated some scenes in there or some internal monologues from the characters just explaining how they each know so much about the other so early on in the book, when they hadn’t even had those conversations yet, that way I as a reader, would’ve felt less confused.

All in all though it was a good book and Donna Michaels definitely knows how to get the balance between serious and light-hearted just right. One thing’s for certain though, this will not be the last Donna Michaels book I read.

I've read every Donna Michaels book she writes and I can say that she writes military really wonderful. She has their mannerisms down to an art form and she also knows how they react to certain situations! This book is part of a series...you don't have to read them all in order or you could just start with this one because she explains about what's going on. This was a great addition!

I thought this was a good read. The writing flowed pretty well, and I liked the characters. Leo and Kaydee were good together, and I thought their chemistry was great. I did get a little annoyed at their internal dialogue, because they both had insecurities that ruled their minds. Kaydee was constantly thinking that Leo didn't want her, and Leo was thinking that he wasn't good enough. I liked that they were able to get out of their heads long enough to realize that they were good for each other. The ending was cute, and I liked the interaction with the characters from previous books. If you're looking for a fairly drama free, sweet read, I would recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

Leo Reed is part of At Ease Ranch, a place for veterans having trouble adapting to civilian life to go and work things out. He had a severe case of PTSD, but now has mostly found his groove. He works in the construction company that brings in money for the ranch. He feels he owes the guys at the ranch more than he can ever repay for helping him recover and always being there for him. Leo is quiet, introverted, big hearted but doesn’t have a realistic view of his self-worth.

Kaydee was raised a military kid. She learned to keep people at arm’s length because she was never in one place for too long. As she grew older, she picked up a case of wanderlust and got twitchy after being in one place for too long. So, she moved around every 2 – 3 years. She’s happy to help her grandpa out for the next 2 years, but is concerned her wanderlust will get the best of her before her time is up. Kaydee is a hairstylist in her friend’s shop. She doesn’t think she’s good girlfriend material because she’s not one to put roots down. She has a caring, sunshiny personality. She sees her mistakes as opportunities to learn and is a bit quirky and funny.

Leo has been watching Kaydee since she and her grandfather moved in down the street from his grandmother. She brings light to his world, but he feels she deserves better than him. They both did an excessive amount (imho) of ruminating in their heads about not being good enough or deserving of love. Both waffled back and forth. Because of this, the story drags in the middle. Their attraction was definitely felt. Lots of sex. Leo was sweet, helpful and attentive. Their interactions were at times funny, sweet and intense.

The grandparents were quite entertaining.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.

4.5 stars.

I loved this and I was so happy to get to hear Leo’s story.

We’ve heard from Leo and his troubles in previous books, so it was great to hear from him now. He was such a troubled soul, it broke my heart to hear him talk badly about himself. He was such a great guy, I was glad others worked hard to make him see that.

Here he meets Kaydee and I just loved her! She was such a fun and loving character, I so wanted to be her friend. She kicked ass and was perfect for Leo. I wanted them together from the first moment we met her.

There were some inner struggle coming from Leo that made things a bit difficult, however he was mostly open to change his life for the better. I loved his positive attitude.

A great addition to the series and I’m sad to see it end. :-( But it was a great ride and totally worth it. :-)

*Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing a copy for which I’m giving my honest opinion*

The Army Ranger's Surprise was a decent story. I liked Kaydee & Leo alot, they were fun and goofy and they felt like a real life couple. At the beginning. I zipped through the first half of this book, eating up the story. But somewhere in the middle I got a little lost and honestly, a little bored.
As soon as they start having sex, they have nonstop sex. And it was nice but it was way too much and took away from the story because it wasn't mixed in well. It was build up and then sex, sex, sex and then finally, conflict and resolution.

But I did really like the characters and the ending did make up for the middle. I didn't love this story but I liked it.

I adore this series!

Leo and Kaydee are a right pair! Neither of them think they are good enough for the other. Between Survivor Guilt/PTSD and a humongous fear of staying pot too long, this couple have a few big hurdles to overcome.

Whilst their lives and minds may be in turmoil, I enjoyed the way that neither of them turned on the other, they always cared for each other, even when things got tough.

Great characters and superb setting. The psychological issues were handled well and with tender care

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

This is one of my favorite series and I loved Leo and Kaydee's story! It is always fun to see the whole At-Ease gang and what they are doing while one of the guys meets and falls in love.

Even after all the previous guys screwed up, that wasn't enough to keep Leo from making his own mistakes in love! Fortunately, it didn't take him too long to realize his error and grovel!!

Only two things that I wanted to mention - in the epilogue, when Jovy gets Lula Mae a boyfriend - cows are the females so the new addition would not be a cow! Also, I really wish that there would have been more to the mistake when a granite counter top was delivered instead of the marble - that kind of was unresolved to me - I guess I wish that the store would have apologized when they realized that they made the error since Leo knew that he didn't call in and changed his order.

I loved that Leo finally could see that he made contributions to the ranch and other people's lives and could get beyond the mistakes of his past. It is inspiring when we see that growth and that they named their baby "Hope" was the cherry on top!!

Overall, this book was fine. I have some complaints but I loved the romance. The couple was fantastic and I rooted for them the whole time. The friends and family were also wonderful additions. This was my first read in this series so I didnt have the attachment to the older characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from both POVs here, though

Now onto complaints.

The writing was honestly mediocre. There wasnt anything that stood out about it. Just seemed average.

The story was cliche but that was fine. It's a romance, I didnt expect any different.

My biggest complaint is the synopsis. It tells the entire story. Theres things mentioned in the synopsis that I anticipated in the beginning but they didnt happen until 80-90% through. I think the synopsis needs more work.

Other than those few things, I did enjoy this story. The romance was on point, in my opinion.

Leo is a retired soldier who is still dealing with PTSD and adjusting to civilian life at the At-Ease Ranch. The Ranch is managed by former military men who understand what soldiers like Leo are going through and help them gain employment through the construction company they own.

Kaydee was raised in the army and as a result prefers to be able to leave at a moments notice rather than laying down roots. Kaydee is living with her grandfather for the next two years until her father can retire from the army.

When Leo comes to visit his grandmother, he finds her with her boyfriend who happens to be Kaydee’s grandfather. As a result of their grandparents they end up spending time together and it is only a matter of time before the chemistry between them combusts. It seems like the perfect solution as Kaydee is not looking for anything permanent and Leo doesn’t believe he deserves anything more but sometimes fate has other plans.

With the “surprise” that is coming Leo and Kaydee must overcome the past with the help of their friends and loved ones if they are to have a future together. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

With summer here and the heat making me warm and drowsy, this book hit the spot. It was a nice quick read with simmering chemistry and two down to earth MCs I instantly liked and was rooting for. Loved the feel good vibes and the alternating POVs.

Leo and Kaydee have been keeping each other at arm’s length for a while, both thinking they aren’t the right person for the other. Leo is still dealing with guilt and shame over his past and how he dealt with his PTSD and survivor’s guilt, while Kaydee is scared if setting down roots.

This book was so uplifting and sweet, although both Kaydee and Leo have some growing up to do before clearing all their fears and doubts about what the future will hold for them, I appreciated the fact that they never turn on each other. They are both supportive, caring and affectionate with each other. Even when things got a bit rocky for them, they communicated. At one point Leo tries to shut down and as soon as Kaydee feels that tingle of awareness she seeks him out. She presses him to let her in and I loved that. We all have those moments where we can’t deal and it means everything when you know you have someone at your back ready to lend you a hand.

Overall this was a very safe read with some angst and some push and nudge drama :) Leo was a good guy that just needed to re-evaluate his circumstances and how he wanted to move forward with his life. I loved Kaydee, at first she describes herself as a loner, kind of closed off and scared to really ingrain herself in any one spot but that was just how she perceived herself. I enjoyed reading Leo and Kaydee’s story and that epilogue was too cute!

Memorable Moments:

Not so much to do with the story but I thought it was funny that Leo’s heroine smells like raspberries rather than vanilla. Lol! Sorry someone pointed out that it was disturbing how many female MCs in romancelandia smelled like vanilla which I never really notices before but now see all the time. It was nice to see the author deviate from the norm.

Would I recommend?

Yes, if you like surprise baby tropes, likable heroines and nice guy heroes this will be a hit!